Deepening Relationship
by anna1991
Summary: This takes place after Kougaiji regained consciousness after he had been brainwashed by Nii. Yaone and Kou will come closer to each other- how close is still written in the stars. It's my first fanfiction, so please be nice
1. Chapter 1

It's my first fanfiction, so I'm not quite sure what to do- besides, I'm from Germany and I have to admit that I have some trouble with this page ='D So please don't kill me if I do anything wrong^^' Hope you'll enjoy the story. I really wanted to write this, because I think Yaone and Kou make a real nice couple.

* * *

He couldn't take his eyes off her. So close had he been to losing her, so close... He didn't know what that crazy Nii had planned with her, but he was fairly sure that nothing good could come from that monster that had, to his shame, successfully tried to melt him into a personal weapon- a killing doll, obedient to him and Lady Gyokumen Koushu alone.

A hand on his shoulder made him abandon his dark thoughts. He looked up to see Dokugakuji smiling at him. "Hey, Kou. Don't worry. We got her before any harm was done, she's all safe now."

"If we had been just a few moments later...maybe it would have been too late. I was about to lose my sister and didn't even notice it! Damn!" He slammed a fist into the wall next to him, leaving a hole where it had made contact with the solid stone. He couldn't keep his eyes off Lirin.

"Kougaiji-sama!", Yaone cried and hurried over to him. "Don't, it wasn't your fault! You did not know what you were doing because of that doctor. But in the end, you snapped out of it, didn't you? You became yourself again and managed to rescue Lady Lirin. We will never again let her be taken by that man." She looked him straight in the face, something she rarely did. He saw the intensity with which she spoke burning in her eyes and couldn't help his own expression becoming soft.

He let his right hand rest on her shoulder when he gave her a tiny smile and said: "I know, Yaone, Dokugakuji. Forgive me, it's just the thought that I might lose her the very moment I take my eyes off her."

He went over to the couch on which his little sister was sleeping soundly. Gently, he took one of her orange curls and tucked it back behind her ear.

With tears in her eyes Yaone watched the scene in front of her, touched by the love her prince's face displayed. She quickly wiped the tears away before she cleared her throat and addressed the prince. "Kougaiji-sama, I think it would be best if I brought Lady Lirin to bed now. I prepared the room next to your own for her, so that you can keep an eye on her."

"Thank you, Yaone, I really appreciate it. I'll come with you." He pulled Lirin to his chest and carried her to her new room, wishing Dokugakuji a good night when passing by. The castle was totally quiet except for Yaone's light footsteps right behind him. He turned to look at her. She was walking with her head bowed, her arms folded in front of her belly. He frowned, then stood still until she had caught up with him.

"Why do you walk behind me?", he asked her. "There is no need to let yourself fall behind. You are free to walk next to me, Yaone." He did not want her to be so obedient. She absolutely had his respect, even more, his complete trust. He did not consider himself her master, neither did he do with Dokugakuji. They were his companions, not his subordinates.

"Yes, Kougaiji-sama.", Yaone whispered, still keeping her head down. A slight blush was blooming on her cheeks. 'He is always so nice to me, as if I were really worthy of being by his side.'

"Allow me to open the door for you.", she said and hurried ahead to Lirin's new room. She watched her prince putting his sister to bed, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

'I'm so glad he is back to his normal self!', Yaone thought, raising her hand to her lips as if to hide the adoring smile on her lips. Her breath hitched when he suddenly turned around and caught her staring at him.

His eyes widened when he became aware of her expression. There was so much... -he didn't know how to say it- in it. Happiness? Bliss? Pure pleasure? Even... affection?

Carefully he left his sister's side, not wanting to wake her, and approached the nervous woman in the door frame. "What's with that look?", he asked, bemused.

Yaone didn't know where to look, a furious blush covered her whole face. "I...I just watched you with Lady Lirin, and I... and I... I'm just so glad you are yourself again!" Suddenly she couldn't hold back the tears anymore, they just poured out of her eyes like a waterfall. "We didn't know what to do because you didn't even seem to recognize us, and then we realized Lady Lirin was gone, but we weren't able to help her at all. When they told us you were sent out to assassinate the Sanzo party, we were so afraid, we... I was terrified. I thought I would never see you again." She covered her face with her hands while the tears streamed down her skin, being an odd mixture of today's relief and the fear and concern of the last days.

He froze when he saw her tears. Suddenly he remembered her face when she had realized that he had snapped out off that whole brainwashing shit. She had looked at him as if her own personal sun had risen before her in a moment of utter darkness. He also remembered her first attempt to kill the Sanzo party. She tried to kill herself when she didn't manage to take them out, and if it hadn't been for Hakkai and later himself, she would have succeed in doing so. She would have killed herself for HIS sake. Ridiculous! As if he ever had expected that from her!

"Yaone.", Kougaiji mumbled, clasping her wrist with his long fingers. He gently pulled her hands away from her face. Her big, watery eyes were staring at him, insecure and ashamed. Suddenly she seemed as small and helpless as Lirin had been when he freed her before. He couldn't help pulling her in his arms and stroking the back of her head soothingly. "Shh, it's okay, it's fine. I'm back and there is no way I'll ever fall for the stupid tricks of that damn doctor again."

Yaone's heart hammered inside her chest when he suddenly was so close to her. She was so shocked about this sudden nearness that her tears stopped flowing on their own. "Kougaiji-sama.", she whispered and closed her eyes, resting her head against his chest in an unthinking movement. When she felt him tense she tried to hastily pull away. What had she been thinking? He was a noble prince, for crying out loud, what right did she have to be this close to him?

"I'm... I'm sorry, Kougaiji-sama, I.... please excuse me!" With these words, she freed herself from his embrace and fled from him, disappearing in the darkness of the corridor.

Kougaiji stared after her. "What was that just now?", he whispered slowly. "Yaone?", he added, though she couldn't hear him anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

Back in her room, Yaone had hidden beneath her sheets. She didn't exactly know what had happened before, but she was sure that she had been about to give him her heart. Ever since he rescued her from being eaten by Hyakuganmaoh , she had been at his side, never leaving it. She admired him because of his nobleness and mercy, the way he treated his subordinates as if they were equals. She would sacrifice her life for his at any time, knowing that it was worth much more than her own, and yet... yet she wished he would care for her in the same way. Kougaiji treated Dokugakuji and herself as his friends, and she believed that he truly felt so, but there would always be this gap between her, being an alchemist, and him, the great Lord Kougaiji.

It had been terribly wrong of her to make use of his soft side by beginning to cry right in front of him. He would never have left her alone then, this just wasn't the way he behaved. She had practically forced him to embrace her, to attempt to calm her down. Yet still she had enjoyed it so much, had been yearning for being hold by him for so long. She had been able to hear his heartbeat... and it had been proven once again, that their hearts would never beat in harmony with each other.

She forbid herself to feel sorrow over this. Her lord had managed to free himself of Dr. Nii's influence and was himself again, and although Lady Lirin wasn't at her best recently, she wasn't seriously hurt and was doing well according to circumstances.

How ungrateful she was, not being able to treasure all this, only thinking about her confusing feelings towards the prince...

Yaone wasn't the only one whose thoughts circled around the situation from before. Kougaiji did not really know what to make of the way Yaone was behaving around him sometimes. However, he wasn't totally oblivious. He knew that she cared for him a lot, but until know he had never suspected any deeper feelings behind this. He supposed that she liked him the way she liked Dokugakuji and Lirin, like some kind of family or dear friends. She had always been a shy person, so he didn't pay special attention when she couldn't manage to look him in the eye or speak freely around him.

But before, when he tried to calm her, he could feel her heart racing inside her chest and her tears had made him want to choke that bastard Nii who was the source of all that trouble. A bitter laugh escaped his lips. What was he blaming Nii for? In the first place, the scientist only managed to manipulate him because he, Kougaiji, was weak.

He couldn't bring himself to fight in earnest, with the intend to kill when necessary. The problem was that they all seemed to get attached to the people who were supposed to be their enemies. He liked their little monkey, Goku, and respected his fighting spirit. The monk was important to the boy, the way he had looked when Sanzo got hurt had reminded the prince of what he felt when Lirin was in danger. Gojyo.. Him and Dokugakuji being brothers didn't contribute to make that whole shit easier. Though they wouldn't let the other one win easily, they'd never harm each other seriously, let alone kill.

And then there was the healer of the group, Hakkai. Kougaiji absolutely did not trust the man who always had that eerie smile on his face. Though he mistrusted him, he didn't dislike him. He had stopped Yaone from killing herself, which meant Kougaiji would always be in his debts. In addition, Yaone seemed to like the healer, when the both of them fought, it seemed more than a complicated- though rather violent- dance.

To his surprise, a low growl rumbled trough his chest when that thought crossed his mind. Well, it was more than troublesome that they couldn't bring themselves to hate their enemies, but somehow the thought of Yaone taking a liking to Hakkai disturbed him a lot more.

'Why is that?', he asked them self, frowning. It had felt good to hold her in his arms, like it was the right thing to do. Well, it was, he couldn't have left alone one of his closest friends in such a state of mind, could he?

"Yeah, sure, as if it would have felt that right if it had been Dokugakuji!", he lowly hissed to himself. He sighed. Those three already meant far too much to him, Gyokumen Koushu and Nii could always take advantage of them when they wanted Kougaiji to do the dirty work for them.

They had already taken Lirin once, he wouldn't let that happen again, to neither of them. Dokugaku was like a brother to him, Lirin actually was his half-sister, and Yaone.. well, what was she to him?


	3. Chapter 3

"Lirin-sama...!", Yaone yelled. She had been searching for the princess for more than two hours, but the girl was nowhere to be found in the castle. Yaone was beginning to feel anxious.

"Lirin-samaaaa! Where are you? Please show yourself!"

Hesitating, Yaone entered the area in the castle in which Nii had his rooms. She began to panic as her inner eye already began to form images of the princess taken hostage again, tortured, held in a giant glass tube like a fish... 'No, this mustn't be!'

"Lirin-sama?!", she called out again, lower this time. A shiver ran down her spine when she suddenly became aware of a presence behind her. She whirled around, some explosives already in her hand. Her wrist was caught before she had the chance to throw them, thin but strong fingers wrapped around her arm.

"My, my, look what I've caught here..." The greenish light of a monitor was reflected by the spectacles, whereas his pitch-black hair seemed to absorb every trace of light. A mocking smile stretched the thin lips to a barely visible line. "It's a disobedient subordinate who fell into my clutches... or rather... a subordinate who's desperately fallen in love with her prince?" The sneering voice mumbled the last few words almost tenderly.

Yaone tried to get rid of his hand, but his grip wouldn't loosen. "Let go, Nii! What did you do to Lirin-sama?!"

"Huh? Am I such an bad guy that you won't allow me to touch you? You know, your prince desired that power I gave him.. otherwise the experiment wouldn't have succeeded at all- but you don't reject HIM when he's comforting you in the middle of a dark corridor..."

His head flew to the other side when Yaone slapped him across the face with her free hand. Her face burned with embarrassment and disbelief. How did he know..??

Surprised, Nii let go of her hand. "Oh? Kitty gets furious, I see...." Still rubbing his cheek, he turned around on one leg. He took a few steps, then looked back over his shoulder, smiling innocently. "Don't know where your princess is... but now that I think about it, it might have happened that I let slip the location of the Sanzo party. Oh, how very unfortunate... You might wanna go after her... By the way, I wonder... do you care for her so much because you yearn for HER body as well? They're a rather attractive family, don't you think?"

A lazy wave with his index and middle finger and the man was gone, leaving Yaone trembling in the gloomy hallway. Her eyes shed tears of rage and shame. The knowledge that Nii had been watching them stained her memory of that embrace, degraded it to a live peepshow, a sick entertainment program for a sick man. That comment on the princess... he had such a dirty mind, it disgusted her.

She clenched and unclenched her fists, not even realizing that the sharp nails dug into her flesh again and again until she could smell blood in the air. With a numb feeling, she stared at her palm, following the small trickle of blood with her eyes. When one drop dripped to the floor, Yaone's head snapped up. "Lady Lirin!!!"

* * *

She couldn't have been more relieved when she discovered that indeed one flying dragon was missing, so at least this part of Nii's statement was right. But that meant that Lady Lirin had wandered off on her own again, probably trying to steal the Maten Scripture from the Sanzo party once again. It wasn't that the princess was too weak or lacked determination, but somehow she always ended up getting sidetracked- mostly by dumplings which seemed to be stored by a certain monk only for the reason to distract Lirin.

A small smile lingered on Yaone's lips. Well, at least Sanzo and the others wouldn't hurt her. It was more likely that the princess would hurt herself because she went a bit too far, got too excited.

With a sigh, Yaone got another dragon ready for the flight. "Please be safe, Lirin-sama.", she mumbled when the dragon left the ground.

She didn't know whether it was a coincidence or not that Lady Lirin always chose those days to take off when she was alone with Yaone. Kougaiji and Dokugakuji did some training somewhere in the mountains, so she would have to search for the princess on her own once again. Well, if she really was after the Sanzo party it should not be very hard to find her, though, for Sanzo and his group always left a trace of... well, destruction behind. Wherever they went, demons attacked them, and the leftovers of those fights could barely be overlooked, so it was beyond doubt that she would find them easily.

And really, soon after she had found the first evidence of a fight, she spotted the group in that strange vehicle of theirs. Her eyes searched the surroundings from above, but she didn't catch a glimpse of Lirin around. She instructed the dragon to fly near the jeep so that she could talk to its passengers.

"Hello everyone. Excuse me for being a bother, but would you mind telling me whether you have seen Lirin-sama recently?"

"Oh, good afternoon, Miss Yaone! How are you? I'm very sorry to disappoint you, but she hasn't been around lately.", Hakkai answered her, smiling.

"Yeah, if she was around, she'd already sit on that stinkin' monks rickety shoulders with a bunch of meat buns in her claws. You've always had a knack for animals, haven't you, old ma-", Gojyo sneered, but stopped when a gun was aimed at him.

"You wanna die so badly, you shitty kappa?! Shut the hell up or I'll shut you up!" The vein on Sanzo's temple was throbbing dangerously.

"Did you say meat bun? Sanzo, when you have some, why didn't you give them to me? Maaaaan, I'm starving over here! Gimme, Sanzo, eh? Meat bun, meat bun, meat buuuuuun!" Goku whined in the back seat.

"I TOLD YOU TO SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!" The paper fan dashed trough the air, hitting both Goku and Gojyo on the head.

"What the hell was that for, you stupid priest?! I didn't say a damn word, hit the monkey when..." Gojyo began to complain.

"Excuse them.", Hakkai said and smiled apologetically, drawing Yaone's attention away from the usual bickering. "As Gojyo said, we haven't seen Lirin for a while. Did she wander off on her own again?"

Yaone smiled back and nodded. "Yes. This morning she was still at the castle, but somewhere around lunchtime she vanished."

"Oh, this is quite unusual, isn't it? For her to skip mealtime, I mean.", the brown-haired demon smirked. "She is kind of like Goku that way."

Yaone laughed. It was really easy to talk with Hakkai, there was never a moment of awkward silence between them. "I think you're right. Do you mind if I stay near you for a while? Lirin-sama is likely to approach your group any time soon, and it would save me the trouble of finding her."

"Sure, do as you please. We feel honored that you are accompanying us."

"You know that she's supposed to be our enemy?", Sanzo growled, lighting a cigarette.

"Yeah, I know.", Hakkai answered without looking at Sanzo.

* * *

"So, Kougaiji is back to his normal self again? There are no aftereffects?", Hakkai asked her. The group had stopped for a rest in a forest and the healer and the alchemist had sat down slightly away from the others to be able to talk.

Yaone thought about that. Physically, there was no aftermath, the arm that Goku had broken had healed within hours. But her prince's state of mind was a completely different thing... She knew that he blamed himself for what had happened, that he hated his 'weakness'. He was afraid that Lady Gyokumen Koushu and Dr. Nii would make use of the bonds he had formed with Lirin, Dokugakuji and herself, that they'd force him to do everything they wanted by threatening those who were important to him. It made her heart ache when she imagined how torn her prince had to feel.

When she had met him for the first time, he seemed so lonely, yet he had tried to cover that emotion behind his pride and dignity. Now he wasn't lonely anymore, but as wonderful as this was, it was now his greatest weakness..

"Not physically, no.. But he is more cautious then before, always fearing that something might happen to one of us. He tries to hide his emotions in order to prevent us from worrying, but we are not dump. He is determined to get the sutra, whatever the cost. He will not allow anyone of us to be harmed again.. I think this is why Lirin-sama went on her own despite her promise not to wander around alone anymore. She wants to help him..." 'Just as I want...', she thought.

"I see. So we would better be prepared for the next assault.", Hakkai said, staring into the woods. "Ah, I guess your reason for waiting finally approaches."

And really, in this very moment, an unmistakable voice could be heard: "Baaaaldy Sanzo, give me your scripture and I'll spare your lives! Lirin's on the move again!"

"Oi, Sanzo, take care of your pretty pet here before she gnaws at my leg or something!", the redhead called out. A shot was fired, followed by the hanyou's curses: "Watch where you're aiming at, you shitty monk! The last one almost hit!"

"That's the point, filthy water-sprite! And YOU, DON'T SIT ON MY SHOULDERS,YOU BRAT!!!"

There was a low "Thud", then Lirin cheered: "Yay, meat bun!"

"Eeeeh, Sanzo, didn't you say you don't have any?? That's no fair! I wanna have some, too- yay, meat bun!"

When Yaone and Hakkai arrived at the scene, there was a totally unnerved Sanzo standing in the middle of the small clearing, two blissfully chewing teenagers at his feed. Gojyo was sitting on a trunk of a tree, still sulking because that last shot had been a very narrow one.

"Yaoneeeeee!", Lirin shouted when she saw the slender figure of her almost-sister appear. The female demon jumped up and rushed towards Yaone, coming to a halt a few centimeters in front of her. She beamed proudly. "I've successfully encountered the Sanzo party!" Then, as if she remembered her actual reason for being there, she turned back to Sanzo. "Oh yeah, right! So, Droopy Eye, hand over the sutra now! By the way, where do you always get these dumplings? They're so yummy!"

The monk's vein popped up again, his closed eyes were twitching. "Take your brat and leave already, will ya? I'm havin' a damn hard time not to kill that nuisance."

"Yes, sure!" Yaone put her hands on Lirin's shoulders and made her bow her head when she did. "Thank you very much for your help, I enjoyed traveling with you." At this, her eyes darted over to Hakkai, who gave her a smile and nodded. "I very much apologize for causing you so much trouble. Please stay well until we meet again." With one last bow Yaone retreated, taking Lirin with her who turned around again. "Bye bye, Sanzo party! Next time we meet, I'll definitely kick your butts!"

* * *

On their way back home Yaone didn't say a word. Lirin was chatting cheerfully, unaware of the lack of real communication. It wasn't until they were back at the castle and slid from their dragons' backs that Yaone opened her mouth, interrupting Lirin's monologue.

"Never, ever do this again, Lirin-sama.", she said, looking the smaller girl straight in the eye.

"Yaone...", Lirin said, surprised. "But look, if you hadn't dragged me off, I'd 've definitely beaten them!" She stood stock-still when Yaone suddenly dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around her. "What's the matter, Yaone?", she asked confused.

"I have been so close to lose you and your brother, I don't want you to deliberately put yourself in danger ever again! I was so scared when I could not find you anywhere around, I was seeing you being taken from us again. You have to promise, Lirin-sama, don't wander off on you own again!" Her voice was a strange mixture of strictness, anxiety and affection that Lirin had never heard from anyone before. Suddenly she realized that this was the way a mother would talk to her beloved child. She'd never had a caring mother, actually no mother at all. Gyokumen Koushu could hardly be called a good mom, for all that woman needed and wanted her for had something to do with the resurrection of Gymaoh. The only one who treated her like a daughter... was Yaone.

"Yaone...", Lirin mumbled softly, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to help Brother..."

The older demoness looked up. "I know, that's what we all want to do. But can you imagine what he would feel when something happened to you? It would destroy him.. just like me."

"You're speaking like a mom... Well, I THINK you speak like one, I don't really know, never had one.. except for you." With those last words, Lirin's sad face vanished, making room for a sweet smile which wasn't disturbed by the still visible tears.

"Lirin-sama, I..", Yaone began, overwhelmed with emotion, but was stopped by Lirin: "Oh, cut that 'sama' stuff out already! We're family, right?', she grinned widely.

The alchemist looked shocked. "But I cannot do this! What would Kougaiji-sama say if he kn-"

Lirin's grin stretched from ear to ear. "Oi, say Yaone, we're like mother and daughter or sisters, right? You can trust me and I can trust you, right?"

She was confused. What did the princess want? Hesitantly she answered: "Certainly, you may entrust anything to me. What do you have on your mind?" Somehow this felt suspicious, like she was about to walk right into a trap. Lady Lirin's eyes shimmered with mischief.

"Well, you know, sometimes I wish we really were family.. And I think you wish so, too!"

Yaone felt herself blush. Did the princess notice her feelings towards Kougaiji?!

"Ha, knew it! You're blushing! You love my br-", Lirin teased, but was stopped by Yaone's hand on her mouth. She was red like a tomato and hastily looked from the left to the right. Did anyone hear? She had no choice, she would have to kill that someone! Luckily there wasn't anyone around, so she dropped her hand from the princess's mouth, sat back on her knees and let her chin sink to her chest so that her bangs covered her eyes. Her fists were clenched in her lap.

Lirin stared at her with wide eyes. She hadn't wanted to panic Yaone, just tease her a bit! There was an eerie aura emanating from Yaone which gave her the creeps. "Ah..Yaone?", the princess asked. She crawled over to the other woman and tapped her shoulder. "Yaone? You in there?" She squeaked and jerked back when Yaone suddenly lifted her head and stared at her with a zombie expression. "Never tell anybody."

Lirin crawled backward some more. "O-Okay!"

"Promise!", demanded the dead voice.

"I-I swear!", she squealed, totally freaked out by Yaone's attitude.

"All right then!", Yaone chirped, suddenly sitting upright again, a radiant smile on her lips.

'Just as eerie as that dead face before.', Lirin thought, shuddering.

* * *

Yaone was preparing dinner. Kougaiji and Dokugakuji weren't back yet, but Lirin was hungry. Suddenly something pulled on her dress. She turned around to see Lirin standing in front of her, looking at her feet.

"Oi, say Yaone... Do you just care for me because of Brother?"

Yaone looked down at the small figure in disbelief. How did that young one's mind come up with such nonsense?

Lirin stood still while she waited for an answer. The question had occurred to her when she was looking out for her brother and Dokugaku who still hadn't come back. The four of them formed a team, a family. They all gathered around Kougaiji, but Yaone was the one that held their group together. She was gentle and shy, conscientious, generous and sweet. Lirin loved her almost as much as her brother, and she had always been sure that her affection was returned.

But now that she knew about Yaone's feelings towards her brother, she couldn't help thinking that Yaone just liked her because of him. It wasn't the way she'd expect her to behave, but then, what did she know about love? The only person she knew who loved her was Kougaiji, and he loved her because he was her brother. Siblings actually loved each other, right?

Lirin squirmed uncomfortably when Yaone remained silent. She tensed when a hand cupped her cheek and lifted her head. Her eyes met the amber ones of Yaone, which had a serious but compassionate look on them. "Don't worry, Lirin. I love you for what you are, not for who you are related with." Her warm smile washed away all of Lirin's doubts. The princess noted that the other one had left out the 'sama' which made her happy. She crossed her arms behind her back, raised herself on her tiptoes and gave a brilliant smile. "I love you, too, Yaone!"

* * *

_Sorry I took so long, but I was on holiday for a weak ^^ So this was chapter 3 then, I hope you like it. I just couldn't resist putting Sanzo and the others in here, even if they don't really fit in there. Kougaiji is missing in this chap, but in the next one he will definitely be there, I promise._

_Well, I know that some people are reading the story (or at least I desperately hope so), so I'd be extreamly happy about some reviews :) I know it's unnerving when everyone begs for reviews, but it's really demoralizing when you come back after a weak and nothing happened T___T So pleeeaaaaaaaase leave a word or two after you read the new chapter, I'm happy with a 'like it' or 'hate it'._

See you next chapter :)


	4. Chapter 4

Kougaiji stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the question his sister was asking Yaone. _Do you just care for me because of Brother? _He could hear how very hurt Lirin was, how she feared the answer. He couldn't imagine what had happened between those two who always were of one mind. Did Yaone say something wrong? She did not look like it, but his sister was more sensitive than one might think.

But why should Yaone care for her because of him? Did Lirin think that Yaone saw it as her duty to spend time with her? He had never thought about this for Yaone had been taking care of Lirin ever since he had taken her into his services. It seemed natural that the two females in their small group formed a closer bond. He'd never had the impression Yaone did this for his sake.

Kougaiji sighed with relief when he heard the alchemist's answer. A warm feeling spread through his body as he listened further. He always had a bad conscience when he left Lirin alone in the castle. Whereas he was brought up by his own loving mother, Lirin had never known such a relationship. He tried his best to replace his sister her parents and he had thought he was doing a good job. But when Nii had managed to trick him so easily and take Lirin away from him he'd realized that he failed miserably. It was a comfort to him that Yaone seemed to manage what he did not, she had become a mother for Lirin step by step.

All of a sudden he felt the fierce desire to be part of what they shared. The alchemist was more a mother then he was a brother to Lirin. And his sister was much closer to Yaone than he would ever be..

The thought startled him. Where did it come from so suddenly? He had finally managed to get used to his solitude over all those years, how come that now these feelings of loneliness popped up again?

His attention was turned back to the conversation in the kitchen.

_Oi, Yaone. Since when?_

He could hear Yaone shift her weight, then sigh. What were they talking about now?

_Since the very beginning. I know it's hopeless, but I cannot help it, can I? _

He listened to his sister's '_Hmpf_', followed by a grumpy reply: _But it isn't fair! When you have someone you like you should show them so that they see! Oh, THAT'S the problem. Let's face it, he's as blind as a bat. I mean, honestly, even I noticed! But I think I know the problem._

Kougaiji literally perked up his ears. It wasn't like him to eavesdrop, but this was getting interesting. Who were they talking about, and what did Lirin mean?

_Oh? So you've cast an eye at someone? Who is it? _There was exactly the right amount of curiosity in Yaone's voice that Lirin would be dying to tell her. His fingers twitched a bit when he thought about his sister and guys. She was still a kid, his baby sister! No way he would let her date a filthy, perverte-

_Well, you know him. But that jerk doesn't notice me at all, just like Br-_

"Hey Kou, what are you doing?"

Kougaiji jumped when suddenly Dokugakuji appeared behind him. There was abrupt silence in the kitchen, it was so quiet that you would have heard a pin drop.

"I- was about to go in there, what else? Where have you been all the time?", Kou snapped, his mind racing.

Dokugakuji raised an eyebrow at his reaction. "Yeah, what else? I took care of the flying dragons, just like you asked me." 'What's wrong, Kou?', he thought. Kougaiji hadn't been about to enter the kitchen, he'd seen him standing there since he had entered the corridor. "So? Wanna put down roots or what?"

Mumbling something which Dokugaku couldn't understand, Kougaiji stepped in the kitchen.

"We're back."

"Bro!", Lirin shouted, hugging him around the waist. "Why didn't you take me with you? I wanna train, too, so that I can wipe the floor with those jerks the next time...!"

His hand which had patted her head stiffened. "What are you talking about? Which jerks?"

When Lirin noticed her mistake, she swallowed and forced a constrained smile on her face. "I, ah... just in general, everybody who, eh, gets in my way. I.. think I forgot something in my room, I'm.. right back!" She took a few quick steps towards the door but was caught at her collar before she could slip away.

"Sorry Lirin, don't think your brother's through with you yet.", Dokugaku grinned apologetically, pulling her back to Kou.

"I.. lemme go!", she squeaked.

"Please, it wasn't her fault! I took her with me to the woods to gather some ingredients for my poisons when we stumbled across the Sanzo party. It was foolish to go outside, please put the blame on me!"

The three of them turned their heads to look disbelievingly at Yaone who stood in the middle of the kitchen in her usual posture: Head bowed, feet together, hands folded in front of her belly.

Most of her face was covered by her hair, but nevertheless Kougaiji could see that a blush still lingered on the woman's face. Was she embarrassed because she knew he had overheard their conversation? But why should she? He didn't know who was the subject of their..

His eyes widened, he struggled to catch his breath. _Since the very beginning_, she had said.. _He's as blind as a bat_.. He stared at his hands, totally dazed.

"Kou! What's wrong, man? Kou!" Dokugakuji shook him but got no answer.

Yaone stared at her prince, his expression mirroring her own. She didn't know what to think when he whirled around, shaking off Dokugakuji's hands. In the twinkling of an eye he had left the room without saying a single word. Dokugaku wanted to follow him, but Yaone caught his sleeve. With questioning eyes he turned around to look at her, but all she could tell him was "I don't know. Let him be."

She managed to stay calm even though her heart was beating furiously against her ribs. Did he know? Did he realize they had been talking about him?

* * *

Kougaiji entered his room and slammed the door behind him. He was now sure that Yaone had been referring to him, but this realization didn't help him in the slightest. It had already occurred to him yesterday that there might be any deeper feelings, but now he had a proof. What should he do?

Although he had never seen her this way, he felt a silly happiness spread through his body when he thought about her and the fact that she probably loved him.

But he couldn't allow himself to feel like this. If Gyokumen Koushu or Nii learned about that, Yaone would be in even greater danger than she was now. It was already clear that the four of them had formed a close relationship; especially Nii would know that for he had experienced it at first hand when he, Kougaiji, had managed to regain consciousness after Yaone and Dokugaku declared they would stick with him if he wanted or not.

Although his heart wanted him to declare his feelings to Yaone, his mindforbade him to do so.

"I don't even know what my feelings for her really are, so what can I tell her?", he mumbled, his head resting in his hands.

There was a knock on the door. "Oi, Brother, you in there?"

He didn't actually want to see Lirin at the moment, but nevertheless he told her to come in.

"You really made a face back then, so I wanna ask what's up. You alright? You look a mess."

He couldn't help it, she made him smile a bit. He ran a hand through his hair and let himself fall on his back. "That sure helps a lot, ya know?"

Lirin sat down next to him cross-legged, her hands based on the bed. A grin stretched over her whole face so that she pretty much looked like a cat. "Sure, that's why Lirin's here!", she said, totally missing the irony.

Her brother snorted , his hand still covering his eyes.

"Say, Bro?"

"What is it?"

"Why did you rescue Yaone back then from that demon?"

He let his hand slide down his face and stared at the ceiling. Indeed, why had he? He could remember every detail as if it was yesterday.

_He was on his way to his sealed mother when he passed a servant who led a woman through the castle. He did not notice her because she was a beauty but because of the feeling of utter sadness and desperation which was emanating from her. It had caused him to look up, to have a close look at the face which was covered by silent tears. The man's grip on her wrist was harsh though she seemed to follow him voluntarily, no, indifferently, like she no longer had the will to live. But those tears proved otherwise. _

_Before he even knew what he was doing, he stepped closer. "Wait! Where are you taking that woman?"_

_When the answer was pronounced, the female demon lowered her head whereas Kougaiji's shot up, his eyes widened with shock. The demon king she should be offered to was a monster, he played with women and after he was ready with them, they were eaten. She wouldn't be the first to suffer this fate, but the thought of her existence being erased caused him a stab of pain. Again his body seemed to react on his own, without being told to do so. The words escaped from his mouth just like before. "I've taken interest in this woman, I'll buy her instead."_

_He didn't have to though, for the servant hastily pushed her over to him and assured him he would be deeply honored if his prince accepted her as a present._

_He waved her to follow him and felt the need to clarify his motives when she looked a bit taken aback. "Don't get me wrong- I didn't save you. From this day on you will work for me- as an alchemist of course. Understand?" He didn't look at her when he said this, but he felt the sadness fading away._

"_Yes, Kougaiji-sama."_

This was when he had heard her voice for the first time, never forgetting it afterward. There had been so much unexpected love of life in it, so much joy and admiration that he suddenly had known he had done the right thing.

"Oi, anyone home?" A small hand waved in front of his eyes and they concentrated on his sister again.

"I can't say, just felt the need to. Plus I needed a nanny for that disobedient pain in the neck which calls itself my sister." He shot an amused look at her though he actually wanted to reprove her for her earlier solo effort.

"Huh? Pain in the neck? Who's that? Do you have another sister?", Lirin asked, honestly confused.

"You wouldn't believe it, would you?", he laughed, half desperate. "I'm talking about you, silly girl. Why did you go after the Sanzo party all alone?"

Oh shit, she had hoped that he had forgotten it. 'But he isn't that angry, maybe I have a chance!', Lirin thought. Immediately her eyes grew big and watery, her bottom lip began to tremble slightly, her hands were placed just beneath her mouth. "I just wanted to help you, and the last times I tried I'd almost got it, so I wanted to be a worthy sister and..."

"So, the last tim_es_, huh?", he interrupted.

"Oops." 'Not again!'

"Lirin, I'm glad you wanna aid, but you don't help me when you sneak away alone and unprotected. I lost you once, I won't let it happen twice. Understand?"

"Bot Bro, I..!"

"No buts anymore, Lirin. Stay with Yaone or Dokugaku and me, but never wander off alone again!" All the amusement had vanished from his features, he was totally serious.

"Yes.", the princess answered, avoiding Kou's gaze. She knew he was right, but it was so boring and creepy at the castle! She wanted to fight!

"Oh, by the way... Who's that guy you've taken an interest in?" The words escaped his lips so quickly that he couldn't stop them anymore. He was dying to learn the name, but at the same time he absolutely didn't want to know.

Lirin turned beet-red. "Oi, how come you know about that? I only told Yaone in the kitchen! Nah.. wait a moment. You heard us. Oh my God, you HEARD us!"

"So what? I'm your brother, I have to know!" Somehow he felt like a small boy who was caught while preparing a prank.

"So? Then you tell me first who's your crush!", Lirin shouted, leaning forward as Kougaiji leaned back, taken by surprise.

"Wha- what are you talking about? Don't change the subject!"

"It's Yaone, right? You looooooooove he-" Once again she found her mouth sealed by a hand, this time it was her brother's.

"M m rght! Knw t!", Lirin tried to say, fidgeting around triumphantly.

"You know nothing! I'm not in love with her! This would be far to dangerous for her.", he snapped.

Lirin became still and stared at her brother, with her mouth agape if Kougaiji hadn't put his hand on it. "Wa, sywldftwrdarns?"

He didn't understand a word, so he took his hand away. "What?"

"Woah, so you would if it weren't too dangerous?", she asked.

He sighed. "Since when do you care about things like that, he? Don't get so observant." He ruffled through her hair. 'She's growing up..'

"I don't know what I feel, okay? I've never really given it a thought, there are other things which are far more important right now. So keep it to yourself. And I'm warning you, if I hear any rumors in the castle, you gonna pay for it, got that?" The last part he said with a deadly voice which as every bit as eerie as Yaone's had been that day.

"Eh, hehe, ri..right. Won't say a word!" 'Boy, he's scary!'

* * *

Wow, I finally made it. I'm not quite satisfied though, I have the impression that Lirin is totally OOC somehow.. What do you think?


	5. Chapter 5

Lirin was curled up to a ball, being sound asleep on her brother's bed. There was a small smile on her face. She was dreaming about a certain someone.

"_Oi, give it back! It's mine! No fair you always get the meat buns that I kept for myself!", he shouts._

"_Bllll!" She sticks out her tongue. "Wanna have it back? Tough luck, dummy, it's all safe in here.", she teases, patting her stomach._

_He pouts. "I had three, and I've already eaten one, but you stole the second! I'm hungry!"_

_Her eyes grow wide. "So there's another meat bun?"_

_He looks surprised and stares at his hands, lifting three fingers of his right hand and then, with a strained look, first one of his left hand, then a second. "Hey, you're right! There is still one left! Admit it, you ate it!"_

_Lirin blows out her cheeks. "Hey, I didn't! And if I had, I wouldn't tell you! I haven't even seen it!", she shouts, letting herself fall back on her bottom with folded arms. "Oi!", she squeals, jumping up again. _

"_What's it?"_

"_Don't know, I sat on somethi- the meat bun!"_

"_I knew you had it, give it back to me, it's mine!", he screams, trying to snatch it away from her._

"_Idiot, I didn't know it was there, but I found it, so it's mine!", Lirin decides. She grins triumphantly at him, knowing she has won, but when she looks at his face all the gloating vanishes. His bottom lip is trembling, he looks beaten, totally down and out. _

_He looks up when the smell of meat bun appears right under his nose. His eyes grow wide when he sees the half of a meat bun resting on Lirin's palm. "Wha-?"_

"_They don't taste that good anyway. So I'll share!"_

"_Thank you!" Within a second, the meat bun is gone and Lirin vanishes in an unexpected monster-hug._

"_Stupid monkey...", she mutters, smiling happily. _

At this very moment, Kougaiji asked himself what his sister could be dreaming that caused her to smile like this.

He couldn't help smiling himself. She looked so cute and innocent, curled up like a cat in front of a stove. And he had almost lost her... He would never again allow anyone near hear. No matter who was planning to hurt her, he would crush them before they could make the smallest move. He put her through so much, all he could do to compensate for this was protecting her. From now on, he would only do what was best for her, putting aside his own wishes for silence and peace.

He narrowed his eyes when Yaone came to his mind. 'It's too dangerous. I'll also do what's best for her." His claws dug in his bed sheet.

* * *

The next morning, Kougaiji got up early, careful not to wake up his sister whom he had let sleep in his room. She hadn't disturbed him for he hadn't been able to get any sleep anyway. He had racked his brain the whole night but couldn't bring himself to a decision.

Right after he had left his room, however, he ran into Nii. He intended to ignore him, but the man blocked his path, bowing his head ironically.

"I warn you, stand aside!", Kougaiji snapped.

"My my, take it easy, my dear Prince. I see it as my duty to greet you. And I think I have to congratulate you, haven't I?"

Kougaiji took a threatening step forward. "What do you want? What are you talking about?"

"Oh? Isn't it right then that love blossoms in our castle? And here I so enjoyed the news that you and Miss Yaone have finally found together." Nii shrugged, but there was a mischievous glimmer in his eyes.

The demon's body went rigid, then his hand shot forward and seized the other by the collar, lifting him from the ground. "What? Who told you? What do you know, you bastard?"

Though he practically had to squint to be able to look him in the eye, Nii still managed to give him that superior look. "A little bird told me... It also told me that it thinks you should have an eye on those who are precious to you... There might always be something happening to them. " With these words, his right hand came up and wrapped around Kougaiji's wrist, pressing so hard that Kou let him go with a gasp, clutching his throbbing hand.

"You really should be careful, don't you think, my Prince? The more one has, the more one can lose.", the scientist said, smiling slightly before he turned away and disappeared behind the next corner.

He knew. And he had something on his mind. Kougaiji slammed his fist into the wall. There was no need to think anymore. He knew what he had to do now.

* * *

He entered the kitchen where Yaone already was preparing breakfast. She turned around and flashed a brilliant smile to him. "Good Morning, Kougaiji-sama! You are up early, did you sleep well?" She had. She had dreamed of him and had awoken in a really good mood.

"Actually, no. I'm afraid there will be no time for breakfast today, Yaone. We are going to train in the mountains today and I don't want to waste time."

She looked at the large amount of food she had already prepared, then sighed. "And it looked so good.. Well, it cannot be helped, can it? I'll just have to cook the same again tomorrow morning, I found a new pancake recipe of which I'm sure that Lady Lirin will love it.."

He tensed at her words but his face remained an unreadable mask. "She'll hate me for this, but Lirin won't have the chance to eat them tomorrow either. When I said 'we', I meant Dokugaku, Lirin and I. You will not come with us, Yaone." He couldn't look her in the eye when he said those words.

The pan that she was holding almost fell to the floor. This didn't sound as if she would get another assignment for the time the others would be training. "I... I don't understand?", she asked, her voice shaking though she tried to keep control.

"You should rest for a while, Yaone. Get out of the castle for a bit, relax. We will take care of Lirin, don't worry." Although he didn't see her, he felt what he was doing to her right now. But this had to be, there was no other way to bring her to safety. He was sure that Nii would take advantage of his feelings towards her as soon as he had the possibility. Or got bored, whatever it was that made him hatch his plots.

And with Lirin knowing about his feelings, there was a high possibility that the whole castle would know in less than a day. It wouldn't surprise him if Nii had already talked to Gyokumen Koushu about this.

"Sure, Lord Kougaiji. When shall I be back?", Yaone asked, forcing a hollow smile on her face.

"I don't need your services right now. I'll come get you when that changes." He knew it was cruel, but this was the right thing to do. He had to protect her, come what may. He couldn't let himself allow to develop even deeper feelings for her, and vice versa. She'd understand once the shock wore off, he was sure about that.

Without any other words, he turned around and left. No goodby, no apologizing look, nothing. The only thing he could hear from the kitchen was the sound the pan made when it hit the ground.

* * *

"Oho..." A swivel chair slowly turned around. "Our much-loved prince doesn't want to be loved to much, hn? How cruel, to let poor Yaone-chan all alone in the kitchen... Maybe I should go visit her?" The dark- haired man adjusted his spectacles.

* * *

Yaone stumbled back until she felt the table behind her and let herself slide down to the floor, falling on her knees. She stared at her hands which were clenched and trembling. He didn't need her anymore. She was useless. But why now, why all of a sudden? 'That's what you get for forgetting that you are nothing more than a mere subordinate.', a mocking voice inside her head sneered. She covered her ears with her hands and shook her head violently. No, it couldn't be. She knew he needed her, she was an important member of the group! Hadn't he told her over and over again?

"Why?", she choked.

"Huh, look what we've got here. Why, you ask? Can't be because he found out about your feelings and wants to get rid of you, can it? Poor girl... All your hopes wiped away in one moment... Oh, this tastes very good, mind if I eat some more?"

She didn't look up, she knew the voice. She didn't want to see his face now, didn't want him to be there and witness her weakness.

The scientist took a plate and helped himself to some of the breakfast Yaone had prepared. "You know, if he never comes to get you, you could work for me. I need a cook.", he purred while he pierced a morsel with his fork.

He would never need her again? He didn't want her around because he knew that she loved him? No!

"No! Shut your mouth! Don't tell me lies!", she screamed at him.

"Oh? You suspect I tell lies?", he asked, sounding honestly surprised and a bit offended. He got up from his chair and walked in her direction, getting on his knees in front of her. His hand reached for her chin and lifted it up, forcing her eyes to meet his. There was nothing in them, not a single trace of light. Utter darkness. A shiver ran down her neck.

"My my, you do not trust me, I'm deeply hurt. But think about it, Miss Yaone. He is a prince, why should you mean anything to him?" He got up again, still cupping her chin so that she had no choice but to stand up herself. Her mind raced, and though she tried not to listen to his words which were a slow-acting poison, she could not help seeing the sense in them. She had always felt unworthy of the company of such a noble person as Kougaiji, so why should she doubt Nii's explanation now?

"Ah, you see now, don't you? Now that you know he won't came back to you, you should run, little girl. The world is dangerous when one is alone..." He chuckled a bit to himself and finally let go of her face.

She stared after him and didn't move until he was long gone. A sudden, deep breath expanded her lungs, she hadn't noticed that she hadn't breathed. He was right. She was all alone and there was no way she would have missed that barely hidden threat in his voice.

* * *

Blind with tears, she rummaged through her room and laboratory, stuffing anything in her bag which didn't slip through her trembling fingers. She needed to leave. It would be her last act as an obedient servant. She would leave him as he wished.

A few minutes later, a flying dragon left Hotou Castle.

* * *

So, this is chapter 5 ^^ I decided I need a bit more drama in this, so here it is. Do you think it's good? Too much? Please tell me :)

Thanks for the reviews, by the way, they really make my day ;)


	6. Chapter 6

"Oi, Bro, how long is Yaone's break gonna take? I'm hungry!", Lirin whined for the thousandth time.

"How often are you going to ask that, Lirin?", Dokugaku groaned. "And there's absolutely no damn way that you can be hungry again. We've bought you some meat buns an hour ago!"

"But I want Yaone's meat buns! They are the second best in the world! The ones you bought me tasted like crap." The teenager folded her arms stubbornly.

"So which are the best?", Dokugakuji sighed.

"Baldy Sanzo's. Brother, before we kill him, do you think he tells us where he got them?"

Kougaiji's eyebrow twitched when his sister addressed him once again. Honestly, how did Yaone cope with that? There was not a single moment of peace when he traveled with his sister.

"Not voluntarily. You'll have to beat it out of him, I think." He was glad that Lirin was more concerned with food than with Yaone. He hadn't said that he had sent her away but that she had asked him for a break. He could tell Dokugakuji didn't believe him, but he went with his story for Lirin's sake. He would have to explain it to him eventually, though.

"Okay, let's go!", Lirin shouted enthusiastically, jumping up from her resting place.

"And where?", Dokugaku asked, uncomprehending.

"Beat the crap out of the monk! What else, you dummy?"

"Lirin, cut it out now. We are going nowhere for the time being. We need to train.", Kougaiji growled at her.

Dokugakuji looked at his prince. 'He's been on edge all day long.", the demon mused. "I bet there's more to this."

* * *

Yaone was sitting under a large tree at the edge of a small clearing. Her tears had dried, and though the pain was far from being gone entirely she felt better. It had been Nii Jienyi's cruel words which had caused her overreaction, but all he did was stir her very own doubts. Why did he send her away after all these years? Could it really be that he didn't want her around anymore because he learned about her feelings? But why should he tell her to leave because of this? He just could have talked to her. Even with setting aside her hopes and wishes she couldn't see the sense in the doctor's theory. There had to be something else...

All of a sudden a bird flew over the clearing, screaming horribly.

Yaone winced. She became aware of the solitude around her. She was all alone, something she wasn't used to anymore. It made her skin crawl when a few bushes to her left rustled. There probably wasn't a thing in there, but she had to check nevertheless. With cautious steps, she approached the bushes, shoving them apart. With a sigh, she realized no one was there.

"What are you looking for, sweetheart? We're here.", a sneering voice came from behind.

Yaone whirled around to face a group of five demons standing on the very spot she had sat a moment ago. They didn't look especially mighty but seemed strong enough to cause her trouble.

"What do you want?", she asked, her voice steady.

"Well, we were just wondering who passed the border of our territory. Who'd have guessed we'd find a cutie like you out here?", one of them said, a grin on his face which told her they were up to no good.

"Don't lay a hand on me! I'm a direct subordinate to Lord Kougaiji!", she stated.

"Ooowww.. Guess what? We couldn't care less!", the demons laughed. "What the Prince's eye doesn't see, his heart doesn't grieve over!"

Yaone knew she was in trouble when the men took some steps towards her. She had some explosives with her, but she knew these wouldn't do. It was five against one, plus she wasn't quite herself at the moment. She summoned her lance and leveled it at the leader. They were too many. What should she do?

* * *

"Sanzoooo. I'm stravin'"

"Shut up, you stupid monkey! I've heard enough of that", the monk barked.

"Yeah, his Holiness is right for once! All you ever talk about is food! Honestly, isn't there anything else in that thick head of yours?"

"And all you ever talk about is women! At least I get what I'm talking about!", Goku shouted back at the redhead.

"What? You little..."

"Just say it. One more word and you will break off for good." A gun was aimed at Gojyo.

"Haha, see, that's what you get for pickin' on- Ouch!" Goku jumped back before the bullet drove into the ground where he had stood just now.

"Same goes for you, monkey! One more word and I kill you!"

"Nah nah, we wouldn't want to bury one of our group tomorrow, would we? Besides, a bleeding body might attract the attention of some wild animals.", Hakkai said, smiling at the rest of the group.

"You know, 'Kai, sometimes you give me the creeps.", Gojyo said shivering, staring at his friend.

BANG!

"What was that for, you shitty monk!", he cried. BANG! BANG!

"I said one more word and you're dead meat, so hold still, will ya!"

"Oi! What was that just now?", Goku suddenly asked. Sanzo turned around to shoot at him, too, but Goku shook his head. "No, seriously, didn't you here something?"

"I just heard your pain in the ass voice although I thought I'd told you to sh-"

"Nah, Sanzo, I think Goku speaks the truth. I'm fairly sure I heard something right now, too.", Hakkai interrupted the shouting.

"So what? We are in a forest and it is night, there is nothing special with noises.", the priest said grumpily.

"Tch, hear him speak, and here he was trying to shoot us because of noise...", Gojyo murmured.

Sanzo's brow twitched. "Say that again, redhead."

"Would you two stop now? I think someone might be needing our help.", Hakkai snapped unusually roughly.

"What do I care?", Sanzo said, lighting a cigarette.

"Well, I do though, I'm going.", Hakkai declared, turning to the woods.

"Hey, wait for me buddy! I'm coming, too. After all, it might be a cute lady needing our help."

"Maybe it's a food seller and he'll give us some food if we help him!", Goku shouted excitedly, jumping after them.

"Tch, idiots.", Sanzo mumbled, putting on his glasses. He went back to the campfire and sat down, opening his newspaper.

* * *

"You'll pay for knocking out two of my brothers, you little slut!", the leader growled, his hand pulling on Yaone's hair. She had thrown all her explosives and had managed to stab one brother with her spear, missing his vital organs by millimeters. She had bruises all over her body and a small trail of blood trickled down her chin.

"We gonna have some fun with you though you're not that much of a looker anymore!" He cupped her swollen chin while he was trying to spread her legs.

"Hey, there really is a damsel in distress!", someone said.

"Awww, no food though!", a disappointed voice replied.

"You didn't really think there would be, you idiot?", Gojyo asked, staring at him.

"Well you two, shouldn't we concentrate on those in front of us?", Hakkai said, eying the startled demons with his usual fake smile still on his face. "You might let go off that lady unless you do not mind to have your limbs torn off your body, gentlemen."

"What do you want? We had her first! Despite, this is our territory. Leave now and we will let you live, though!" one of the demons shouted.

"Leave now my ass. I'm not leaving a beautiful woman in the hands of some ugly lechers!", Gojyo grinned, summoning his shakugetsujyo.

"Huh? What's the point in rescuing them then, when they're stuck with you afterwards anyway?", Goku asked, scratching his head with his nyoi bo.

"He has a point, Gojyo.", Hakkai agreed, letting his chi gather in his palm.

"Not you, too.", the half demon complained.

The youkai looked at them angrily. "Hey! Don't you ignore us!", the leader screamed. "Hey!", he repeated, when they didn't pay attention.

However, when one demon ran forward to attack them, he was easily blocked without even being looked at. A chained blade cut him in half.

"Kenzo!", the leader cried. "You'll pay for that, half breed!"

"Yeah yeah, so come get me already, I'm getting old over here.", Gojyo smiled lazily.

The demon let go off Yaone, tossing her to the ground. It was only then that Hakkai, Goku and Gojyo realized who she was.

"Woah, you assholes, what did you do to Yaone?", Goku screamed, smashing the skull of the leader.

"Didn't your mother tell you it's rude to lay hands on a woman?", Hakkai lectured the other one left standing, blowing him away with a blast of chi.

The other two who had been on the ground managed to pull themselves up and went for the three men.

"Yeah, it's unpardonable to force yourself on a woman, it's an art in itself to score with a girl!", Gojyo added, killing another one.

"Look who's talking." A bullet took care of the last demon.

"What are YOU doing here, appearing when most of the work is already done?", Gojyo complained.

He earned a death glare form Sanzo. "I was trying to read my newspaper, but some damn noisy bastards wouldn't let me have any peace."

"Oh, we are terribly sorry.", Hakkai said, already kneeling down beside Yaone.

"No you're not."

"Well, you are probably right.", the healer chuckled, bending over Yaone's body.

"Miss Yaone? Are you alright?", he said, shaking her gently.

She opened her eyes with some difficulty, gazing into green ones who looked rather worried. It seemed she had passed out when being tossed to the ground, for she couldn't remember the fight. "I...I think so, yes." When she tried to sit up, however, she winced as pain shot through her body.

"Well, unfortunately I don't think so.", Hakkai said, smiling at her. "If I may?", he asked, holding his hands over one of her wounds, waiting for her to agree.

"Thank you.", she said, blushing a bit. With wide eyes, she stared at his hands as they moved over her body, never touching her skin but healing most of her injuries.

"Are you feeling better now? I'm afraid I wasn't able to heal everything, just the open wounds and cuts. The bruises and the soreness won't vanish so easily.", Hakkai explained regretfully.

"No, thanks, I'm fine. Please, don't trouble yourselves on my account."

"You heard her. Let's go.", Sanzo ordered.

"You heartless bastard, do you want to leave her behind in the middle of nowhere?", Gojyo yelled at him.

"Like I care."

"But Sanzo, can't we bring her to the camp?", Goku pouted.

"Ts. Suit yourself. You do as you want anyway.", the monk growled, going ahead without looking behind again.

"Can you get up?", Hakkai asked Yaone. The female demon let him help her, but she felt embarrassed for being so weak.

"Please, I can manage on my own. There is no need to start an argument because of me."

Hakkai chuckled, slipping an arm around her waist to support her. "There would have been a couple of arguments even without you staying for a while, so don't worry."

"What were you doing out her all by yourself anyway?", Gojyo asked while they were walking back to the camp. "Were you on a mission again or something like that? Trying to get the scroll? You know, I'll never understand how you always manage to get yourself into trouble when you're supposed to cause _us_ trouble."

"It really seems that I have a talent for that, doesn't it?", Yaone laughed, but it was a heartbreaking sound. She hung her head in shame, a single tear ran down her cheek."

"Oi, don't do that!", Gojyo grunted, looking away hastily.

"Gojyo.", Hakkai said, threatening. "What happened, Miss Yaone? Would you like to talk about it?"

She quickly wiped away the teardrop and shook her head. "I'm terribly sorry. I'll have to get used to being on own."

They had arrived at the camp.

"So you dumped Kougaiji?", Goku asked unthinkingly. A fan hit him on the head. "Shut up, stupid monkey, don't meddle in other people's affairs, damn noisy idiot!"

"Ow! What was that for?", Goku screamed, rubbing his head.

"For being incredibly dumb, what else?", Gojyo grinned at him.

"So you left Kougaiji's place?", Hakkai asked, a frown on his forehead.

"He wanted me to.", Yaone whispered. "He said he doesn't need me at the moment. I lost my home today." Then she lifted her head and forced herself to smile brightly in spite of her tears. "Well, I never belonged to him, I guess."

"Huh? So you hadn't something going on with him?", Goku asked, totally inappropriate again.

This time, he ducked, but Sanzo hit him nevertheless.

"No. He has never belonged to me... "

"Tch."

"What are you tching for, damn monk?", Gojyo barked at him.

Sanzo didn't look up while he lighted the next cigarette. "You're hypocritical. ", he said despicably.

Yaone flinched back.

"Sanzo!", Hakkai shouted, whereas Gojyo took a few threatening steps towards the monk. "You coldhearted bastard!"

Sanzo shot him a deadly glare, then gripped his newspaper. "You say he never belonged to you. So why do care when you lost something you never had? You cannot lose something that has never been yours."

Yaone stared at him wide-eyed. He was right. How could she lose something that had never been hers? She didn't lose anything today. But she was free to win everything she wanted.

* * *

I hope you don't mind that the Sanzo party is in it again, I just HAVE to put them in everywhere ^^'


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm so sorry that it took that long, but somehow I couldn't bring myself to write any further. I hope this part is ok despite my current lack of motivation. I also know that this isn't much, but I thought I'd better update a short chappie now instead of writing for another week so that you do not have to wait as long. **

**So please try to ignore that this chapter doesn't sound as enthusiastic as the others, the next one will be better again :)  
**

By the way, thank you for your reviews, I love them :)

* * *

"Please don't feel obliged to leave, Miss Yaone. You can stay as long as you want.", Hakkai assured her.

"Yeah. Don't listen to what the stinkin' monk says; he pretends to be the leader, but in fact, he has nothing to sa- Yikes!"

"You wanna die that badly?", Sanzo snapped, pointing the fuming gun at Gojyo's forehead.

"And again: Please excuse them, Miss Yaone.", Hakkai said, giving her a strained smile.

"No, it's fine, really. I cannot stay any longer, I have to find the others. And tell them that I belong to them.". Yaone smiled, tilting her head to the side while throwing a quick glance at Sanzo.

"Tch." He lit himself a cigarette. "Do want you want. But do it now, we won't wait any longer."

"Thanks for taking me with you to where I left my flying dragon- and for rescuing me, of course.

When you see me next, I'm on the other side again." Yaone bowed her head, then she turned around and climbed on the waiting dragon.

"Tell Kougaiji that I'm gonna kick his ass the next time!", Goku yelled, waving.

"Goodbye, everyone!", Yaone called, then the dragon left.

"Damn, I really hoped she'd stay a bit longer. It was nice to have another beautiful face besides mine around."

"So you're telling me that you actually looked her in the face, Gojyo?", Hakkai asked with a threatening smile.

"Uh... Better won't answer THAT question."

* * *

Kougaiji was sitting on a rock beneath the river. His head was resting on his hands while his gaze wandered to the water. Lirin and Dokugakuji were in the next city, buying what was needed to satisfy Lirin's ever-growling stomach.

His sister kept asking him about Yaone, she didn't really buy his explanations anymore. They would have needed her today when one of their fighting exercises when he and Doku overdid it a bit. Yaone would have easily been able to patch them up. He looked at his right arm which was

covered all over by plasters with tiny bunnies on them. Lirin's work, obviously. Dokugakuji had laughed his ass off when he'd seen how Lirin treated the wounds. However, five minutes later it was Kougaiji who nearly choked to death when Dokugakuji came back from Lirin, his whole body wrapped in a pink bandage with puppies and flowers on it. Lirin had of course been as pride as a peacock and had stomped off furiously because the two men didn't appreciate the treatment. The quarrel had ended up with Lirin demanding meat buns as compensation.

"Tch.", Kougaiji said, unable to fight the smirk which stretched his lips when he thought about Dokugakuji walking through the city in his pink bandages.

The prince passed his hand over his brow, sighing. They NEEDED Yaone. "What should I do?", he mumbled.

* * *

Monitors were buzzing silently in the gloomy room. There was no one there to look at them, for their owner had just left the office with a smile on his lips. On some screens there was data that probably only its collector understood , but on some others, there were the images of two people. On one a red haired demon in a thinking position could be seen, on the other there was a slender figure on a flying dragon. On the desk there lay a sheet with some scratchy drawings on it. There were two stick figures making out on the ground while a looming shadow drifted nearer, unnoticed by the other two.

* * *

Yaone sighed when her dragon touched the ground at Houtou Castle. She had searched all the grounds around the castle, but Kougaiji and the others were nowhere to be found. They had probably chosen a training place far enough from Gyokumen Koushu so that the woman wouldn't send them on another mission to either assault the Sanzo party or go search another missing sutra.

Yaone shook her head. She had only been away for about three days and already the castle seemed desolate and eerie to her. But maybe this was because usually she arrived with the others, it wasn't so quiet then. And not so lonely either...

The demoness shivered a bit. She was alone right now. What if anyone took advantage of her current situation? What if the news about the breakup had already spread so that the castle demons knew there was nothing they had to fear anymore?

However, her fears seemed to be ungrounded. There really was no one around. Yaone entered her room with a relieved sigh. She immediately collapsed on her bed and fell asleep almost instantly. She didn't hear it when the key of her room was turned and the lock klicked.


	8. Chapter 8

I'm terribly sorry that I took so long! At first I was a bit 'offended' because there were so many visitors and hits to the story, there were even some people who added this to their favorite stories- but no one left a review T_T Well, okay, this was kind of childish, but it really broke my heart :'( (Not really though, I was just too stubborn to post another chapter without at least ONE review ^^') Now I've got two, so I forced myself to write a new one. It's not as good as the others because I wasn't really in the mood for writing, so I apologize and I promise that the next part will be better again. (And please ignore grammar today, here in Germany it's the middle of the night ^^')

So I really want to thank those who left a review- it means a lot to me :)

* * *

Kougaiji was still sitting on his tree. He'd been like that for hours, not able to bring himself to move. His shoulders stiffened when he felt someone approaching behind him.

"Oh my, so the Prince has now sent away all of his subordinates?"

Kougaiji got up in one swift motion. "Nii! What do you want? Did Gyokumen Koushu send you?"

"No.", the man answered with a soft voice. "Your _mother_ has lost interest in you, so it seems. Which I must say I cannot quite understand, your group is such an amazing piece of scientific material." There was a glimmer of something in the scientist's eyes that Kougaiji didn't like at all. "I am merely here to ask what happened between you and Ms Yaone. I hurt myself and I couldn't find her anywhere." Smiling, he held up a finger with a bunny plaster wrapped around the tip to proof his statement.

"I don't know where she is.", the prince spat. "Keep your filthy hands off her, she doesn't have anything to do with all of this anymore. "She deserves to be left alone."

"Oh? So you've sent her away permanently? So sorry... I always liked her breasts and bottom I gue-" He found himself pinned against a tree, Kougaiji's fists at his collar. The prince was shaking with fury, his eyes showing the hatred for the other man.

"What do you want with her, you bastard?", he snarled, barely able to form the words.

"Why are you that mad? Didn't you tell her you didn't need her? You know, I could use someone to keep me busy when Lady Gyokumen Koushu isn't in the mood." His hand came up and wrapped around Kougaiji's arm and just like the last time, the prince could only gasp painfully as the human twisted his wrist and slammed him into the ground easily. Nii looked down at him, the light mirroring in his glasses so that his eyes couldn't be seen. The scientist stepped forward, crushing Kou's hand under his foot with an incredible forceful movement.

"Oops, look what a klutz I am. I am terribly sorry. Maybe you should rest for a while? Just in case you'll be in pain."

The next thing Kougaiji felt was a dull ache somewhere on his neck from which a numb feeling spread all over his body. Whereas his body became motionless, his mind was fully awake.

He unsuccessfully tried to react when Nii bent down and looked him in the face. "What would you say if I knew where Ms Yaone is?", he mumbled, tilting his head and smiling a bit. Suddenly, he held his rabbit doll in both hands and made it nod. "We shall give her your best wishes, my Lord.", he chirped, nodding in unison with his doll before he disappeared from Kougaiji's field of view.

* * *

Yaone stirred. She flinched in her rather uneasy sleep, but when she tried to turn, she was held back. Her eyes snapped open when she felt a sharp pain in her wrist. Confused, her eyes wandered to her hand. She drew in a quick breath when she realized the shackles around her wrists. She tried to move her legs only to find that those were bound as well. What was going on? She remembered falling asleep in her own room, but the ceiling she was staring at wasn't familiar to her.

"Ah, finally awake, I see."

Her head flew to the side the voice was coming from. When she recognized Dr. Nii, her eyes grew wide, then they narrowed with disgust and profound aversion. What had that sick man planned now? "Nii!", she hissed. "What have you planned now?"

"Oh? What leads you to the believe I might have planned anything?", he asked mockingly.

Yaone's eyes wandered to the shackles once more.

"Ah, those. Don't worry, those merely have the purpose to prevent you from moving. You know, as much as I like skilled hands on my body, but I don't like them punching me in the face."

"What do you want from me? How did I get here?", Yaone asked, stubbornly trying to free herself from her chains. With one featherlight step, Nii was next to her and caught her squirming hands in a vice like grip. "You should probably stop that. I need you healthy without that delicate hands of yours skinned." When she stopped moving around, he let go of her hands. "You ask how you got here. Well, I carried you, self-evidently. There was a fairly effective sleeping poison spread in your room. I locked you in there to make sure nobody could help you out. Then I brought you here."

So this was why she had collapsed on her bed as soon as she had entered her room. Yaone stared at the doctor. He hadn't yet told her what he planned with her, but it couldn't be something good when he went to the bother of bringing her to another room.

"So what is it?", she demanded to now, sounding far more unconcerned about her current situation than she really was.

Nii sighed. "My my, and here I always thought you were gentle and shy. I actually think I can help you, that's all this is about."

"Help me?", Yaone asked disbelievingly. "Why should I need your help? You are the last person I would ask for aid." What was that man thinking?

"So you do not want to overcome the little drama with your prince?"

The demoness' eyes got wide. Nii caught her expression and smirked. He'd known he would get her with this. "He rejected you, didn't he? After all you've done until now, he sent you away. And deep within you, you've always known. There is no place for you in the heart of the Prince, it's already crowded with the insane love for his mother. You cannot give him what he is yearning for, Miss Yaone." He watched her every reaction, each small movement her body unconsciously performed. She didn't want to listen to his voice, tried to block out the venom that found its entrance to her body through her ears. Kougaiji's heart was occupied by Rasetsunyo, this couldn't be denied. But she'd known that from the beginning, right? It had never pained her to know that his mother was the most precious person to the prince.

"I know that.", Yaone mumbled, her eyes shut. "But that doesn't mean I can't stay by his side, does it?"

She could hear a quiet 'click' and then smelled smoke. Nii had enlightened a cigarette. "Sure. But until now, he's had a use for you. Which is gone now. You are useless." He smiled at her. She could feel it, there was no need to actually open her eyes to check. She couldn't have opened them anyway without allowing the hidden tears behind her eyelids to flow freely. He was right. It had never bothered her that Kougaiji didn't love her, she was satisfied with staying near him and the fact that he needed her. But now he had told her this wasn't the case anymore.

"Lady Gyokumen Koushu ordered me to kill you."

Yaone's eyes flew open, her head turned in his direction. Kill her? What was the reason for this? Why was she still alive?

He could read the questions in her eyes too easily. She disappointed him. "Now that even our Princy-Prince doesn't have any use for you anymore, the Lady thinks it's better if you disappeared for good. She believes you might distract her son. Just like that swordsman does. The bonds he formed with you made him soft like a cupcake." Suddenly the ridiculous rabbit was in the man's hands. With a high-pitched voice, he talked for it. "And one has to get rid of unneeded stuff that is just in the way, don't you think?" The rabbit's head nodded. "Unless... you give the unneeded trash a new reason to justify its existence. Would you like to get implanted a new reason?"


	9. Chapter 9

Once again: I'm so sorry! It took me quite some time to write this chapter, but it's finally done! I just moved because I attend university now, so there were other things in my head than this story. There was also some kind of 'dead point', I couldn't really bring myself to write because I didn't know how to proceed. But now I know, and if there won't be too much stress in the next weeks, I'm sure there will be another chapter soon. Please ignore spelling or grammar mistakes, I've written this in half an hour because I suddenly felt like writing, so I tried to get the chapter done while I was still in the mood.

Thank you for the reviews, I love them! It's nice to see that so many people like what I'm doing =)

Hope you like this one as well :)

* * *

Dokugakuji was a wrack. He never would have thought that it was this hard to babysit Lirin. It was market day in the town Lirin had wanted to visit, so the place was crowded with people who wanted to sell their goods. Most of it were all kinds of food, so it hadn't been long before Lirin vanished between the humans and all Dokugaku could see of her was a bright flash of orange hair bouncing all over the place.

Damn, Kou was pissed enough already, he didn't even dare to imagine what would happen if he lost his sister in the crowd! Well, to be honest, he had already kind of lost Lirin. He couldn't get a glimpse of her anywhere. A sweat bead rolled down his temple has he squeezed his sturdily built body in a narrow alley between two houses. "Shit", he cursed when his shoulders touched the walls. He tried to push further, but there really was no way through- nor back, actually he was pretty much stuck between the houses. "Wait ya little monster, when I've finally found ya, I'll chain you and bring you back to your brother!", he sighed exhausted. When he looked up again, he gasped. In front of him was someone he was very glad to see. But as he noticed the persons face, he flinched back. "Ah, sorry, I didn't mean it like that, I'd never chain her! Really, it was a joke! Just help me to find her!"

He understood that something was very wrong when a lance materialized right in front of him. "Yaone?" was all he could ask before his right shoulder was pierced. He screamed in pain when the peak reappeared on the other side. He coughed. What the fuck was going on? He still couldn't move, not because of the pain but because of the walls around him. He looked up to Yaone whose slender figure fit between the buildings without any problems. Her bangs covered her eyes, so he couldn't tell what her expression was like, but he was sure it wasn't her normally kind one. It was then that his eyes caught the image of the bracelet she was wearing around her right wrist. He'd never seen it before, yet it seemed familiar to him... His eyes got wide when he realized why that was. That thing looked a lot like the one Kou had received from Nii a while ago!

When the demoness roughly pulled her weapon out of his shoulder, Dokugakuji would have collapsed to the ground if it hadn't been for the walls around him holding him up. It seemed Yaone had hit some important veins for he was bleeding like hell. His vision became blurry around the edges. "Damn, Yaone! Snap out of it already, will ya?", he panted. Eventually, the female lifted her head. Fear spread through Dokugaku's body when he looked in her eyes and found nothing in them. The image of the lance being aimed at his heart was the last that Dokugakuji saw before everything vanished into an explosion of agony and finally darkness.

* * *

Horror invaded the prince's every thought as he had to watch the clouds in the sky drifting by peacefully. He couldn't move an inch, the numb feeling still keeping his body motionless on the ground. Even if his body hadn't been immobilized, he wasn't sure whether he'd be able to move his right hand or not. In those few seconds before Nii made him unable to move, Kougaiji had felt the pain rushing through his arm. His hand was crushed, he was sure of it.

It didn't matter, though. All he was thinking about now were his friends. Dokugakuji. Lirin. _Yaone_!

Nii wanted them to suffer. He watched them struggle through his wheeling and dealing like a spider lurking in its cobweb and there was nothing they could do to escape his traps, for he always seemed to be one step ahead of them. Kougaiji squeezed his eyes shut and gathered all his strength once again. And this time, he actually felt the control over his body coming back to him. At first it were just the fingers of his left hand which managed to twitch, then he could move his feet. Like he had thought his right hand didn't obey to his will, but it was just a matter of time- his youkai blood would heal him eventually. Slowly, he willed his body into a sitting position. He felt as if he was made of wood, his joints felt stiff. A frustrated growl left his mouth.

"Damn!", he spat.

At this moment, something hit him from behind and he fell over. He tensed, awaiting another attack, but it never came. Frowning, he looked up and gasped, when his eyes met those of his sister.

"Lirin?", he asked. He searched for Dokugakuji, but he was nowhere around.

"Gotcha, Brother! You SO didn't notice me!", Lirin grinned.

"Lirin, where's Dokugakuji?", Kougaiji asked. The swordsman was supposed to look after Lirin so that she wouldn't wander off on her own again.

Lirin shrugged. "Don't now. I've lost him when we were in that town." Actually, she hadn't lost him. It was more like she had managed to get away from her babysitter. "So he hasn't come back yet?", she asked curiously.

"No.", the prince answered. He couldn't explain why, but somehow he was worried about his friend. It wasn't like him to let his sister escape that easily. It couldn't be that Nii...?

"Have you seen Nii or Yaone around, Lirin?", he demanded to know.

She blinked in confusion. Why did he behave that strange? Suddenly a whiff of some known smell passed her sensitive nose. Smoke, and something fluffy...

"Nii was here, right?", she shouted. She'd never admit it, but since that lunatic had put her into that tube, he gave her the creeps. She had never really trusted that man, but hadn't given him much of a thought before he had held her captive. She could smell his sent all over the place.

Kougaiji looked at her and was surprised to see a hint of fear in her features. Since when did his little sister feel fear? He got up in one swift motion but was sure not to move his right hand. "Yeah, he was. And that's why we have to hurry and find Yaone and Dokugaku."

* * *

They went back to the town Lirin and Dokugakuji had visited. The place was still rather crowded, but there were less people than before. It was getting dark, after all.

"Must be around here that I managed to... ah... get a last glimpse at Doku.", Lirin stuttered too quickly. She had almost told her brother that she had managed to sneak away. Kougaiji ignored his sister's red face. His eyes darted over the place, but he couldn't see anyone he knew. However, his instincts told him that Dokugaku was somewhere around. "Lirin, I want you to stay close to me. Something's not right."

With big eyes, the youth watched her brother carefully examine the surroundings. It was a normal market place, she didn't sense anything odd around. Despite her brother's order, Lirin started to wander around the place, not really knowing what they were actually looking for. Then she caught a whiff of Dokugakuji's sent. It came from nearby, out of a side street on her right.

Hands on her hips, Lirin stomped around to corner to yell at that stupid idiot to stop hiding already. But what she saw let the words fade before they could be spoken out loud. Instead, a scream left her lips.

Kougaiji was next to her in a split second. "Lirin! I thought I told you to not-", he began but stopped when he took in the image in front of him. Dokugakuji's smell was all over the small alley, as was his blood. The man was a huddled mass on the ground, bis body nothing more than a bloody gathering of flesh. "Dokugaku!", Kou screamed and rushed forward, oblivious to the puddles of blood to his feet. He knelt down beneath his friend and rolled him on his back, ignoring the sharp pain in his right hand. His heart missed a beat when his eyes took in the damage. His friend had practically been ripped open. His insides were clearly visible, blood and other liquids were flowing freely on the street. There was a hole in his chest right next to his heart, the assaulter hat missed it by an inch. The heart was still moving, but it was so weak, it was nothing more than an unwilling trembling. Without thinking, Kougaiji stuffed everything back in, got out of his jacket and wrapped it around his friends body. His hands were shaking. How was it even possible that he still lived? Who was that insane slaughterer who had done this to him? While Kougaiji lifted the limp body, his nose caught another smell. His fear went sky high. Yaone had been here as well. She'd been with Dokugaku when he was attacked! Where was she now? Why didn't he smell her blood? When she wasn't hurt, then why had she left Dokugakuji? She'd never abandon him in a state like that, letting him die in the streets. He needed her now more than ever! He didn't knew if Dokugakuji could be saved, but if it was possible, then the only person capable of that was Yaone!

"Yaone!, he screamed, desperately waiting for an answer. "Yaone!" He got panicky. Where should he go now? He couldn't watch his best friend dying!

Suddenly, two small hands gripped his collar and pulled him down. It was Lirin. She was pale and looked scared, but there was determination in her eyes. "Sanzo Party!", was all she said.

* * *

Lirin said on the flying dragon's back, her body was trembling. "Fly faster, you damn thing!", she barked. Her eyes wandered to the unconscious man slumped against her body. How could he still bleed? He had already lost so much blood... She just had to find the goddamn Sanzo Party and their healer, it was the only chance left for them. With Yaone gone there was no other person who could help them. There was no guarantee that her brother would be able to find Yaone in time.

Finally she was able to make out the dust cloud which usually indicated the presence of the Sanzo Party. She reached their jeep in no time for she had forced the poor flying dragon to speed up like never before.

"Baldy, I need to borrow your healer! Stop right now!", she yelled. Four heads flew in her direction, open annoyance in three pairs of eyes, a false smile in the fourth. It was the mouth which belonged to these eyes which spoke first. "Ha ha, I'm terribly sorry Lady Lirin, we are really busy right now. I'm afraid we don't have the time to play with you today." The polite man hit the gas, the jeep rushed forward. Lirin let out a frustrated scream. "Ya stupid idiots, Dokugaku's gonna die!"

There was one second in which nothing seemed to happen, then, all of a sudden, the jeep braked hard, but before it came to a halt, the group's pervy redhead had already jumped out of the car.

The dragon landed on the ground. Dokugakuji was practically ripped out of her arms by the half demon.

"Shit! Jien! Man, wake up, will ya? Fuck! Hakkai, come over here already, what're you waiting for?"

Lirin stared at the redhead's face which was distorted with fear. She'd totally forgotten that they were brothers.

"Gojyo. Move." The healer's voice was kind as he gently pushed the redhead out of the way. He hissed when he looked at the bloody mess that was Dokugaku's body. He clenched his teeth and dived his hands into the terrible wound to rearrange his internal organs. At this moment, Dokugakuji's eyes flew open and he emitted a terribly agonized scream.

"Gojyo, hold him down, he mustn't move!", the healer panted. With shaking hands, the redhead did as he was told, his eyes never left his brother's face. "Come on, man, you gotta make it! Don't leave me like that you stupid asshole! Do you here me! Stay with me!", he shouted. But Dokugaku's eyes had already closed again. Lirin wished hers could do the same, but she just couldn't look away. The horror happening around her was too much. Suddenly she felt someone shyly taking her hand.

"It's alright. Hakkai's the best, he's gonna make it all okay, ya know?"

Lirin looked at Goku with wide eyes. Then, without warning, she wrapped her arms around his neck and started crying.


	10. Chapter 10

Ah.. I don't really have the courage to come out -hiding behind a wall- ^^'' Well, I'm still alive, as you can see. I didn't forget you were all waiting and I DO have a bad conscience because I have kept you waiting for so long, so I'm really really really (…) terribly sorry. It's just that university isn't exactly a piece of cake. But now all the exams are over (thank goodness, there wasn't time for anything but studying) and I decided it was time to update.

So, as always, they swear a lot, Nii is still a creep and Dokugakuji is still bleeding while Kougaiji is a tiny little bit desperate :)

Oh, and please don't hate me but accept my apology 0=)

* * *

Kougaiji was desperate. He had absolutely no idea where to find Yaone. All he could hope for was that Lirin had found the Sanzo Group and that their healer was capable enough.

Kou was about to climb on his flying dragon's back when he felt someone approaching from behind. His body tensed up but he only needed to sniff the air once to know who was behind him.

He spun around, his eyes wide and staring. He took in the person standing in front of him, the slender figure with long purple hair and eyes of which he hadn't known how much he would miss them. When he realized that he could not help doing something very untypical. He rushed forward and pulled Yaone to his body, holding her closer than he had ever held someone.

"Yaone," he mumbled. He didn't know if he had ever felt so relieved. She was here, right in his arms and unharmed.

While he pressed her against his body her lips stretched into a hollow smile. It never reached her eyes but Kougaiji couldn't see. He didn't realize it when she lifted her hand either. There was only a short glimmer to warn him as something reflected the last sunbeams the sun threw at them before it disappeared behind the horizon. He wasn't fast enough, though. Before he could jump back the blade had already pierced his shoulder. The prince hissed when breathtaking agony spread through his whole body. His fingers buried themselves in Yaone's shoulders as he slowly slid to the ground. He breathed with great difficulty, every time his lungs tried to expand the pain forced them back.

"W..why?" he panted. His body started to tremble and made it hard for him to lift his head to look in her eyes. There was nothing in them, black holes without a single spark of light.

She just looked back at him, no, looked _through_ him as he fell on his knees. His eyes were at one level with her hands and so he was able to see the dagger she held in her hand. Something black dribbled from the blade, together with his own blood. Poison? He then caught the image of her other hand. A bracelet? His heart missed a beat when he recognized it as one of those things that Nii had given to him.

"So you realized, huh?"

He didn't need to turn his head to be sure the 'doctor' was right behind him. He could smell the cigarette.

"So I see your hand is better? I am so relieved, it must have hurt when I stepped on it." Kougaiji saw the man's feet when he approached them. The demon needed all his strength to just move his head so that he could look at Nii who stepped behind Yaone, provocatively trailing his index finger over the delicate skin of her shoulder. She didn't flinch or shy away from his touch.

"She _is_ cute, isn't she?" the doctor sighed. "What a waste... Follow me, Yaone." Nii turned around, followed by Yaone who was totally oblivious to the agony her prince was in.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Nii half turned again, a mild smile on his thin lips. "That dagger she attacked you with has poison on it. In a few minutes the pain will ease off, but you're dead in two days time if you don't get the antidote. Which is by the way Yaone's blood. Directly from her heart, to be exact. Have a nice day, my Prince."

Kougaiji watched them disappear until his sight got blurry and his body was consumed by blazing heat. He screamed, the poison was eating him alive, made him collapse on the ground. He coughed up some blood but after the pain had reached its peak it suddenly disappeared all together. There was a dull throbbing in his shoulder where the dagger had been but that was all. Slowly he got up, his legs were still trembling.

Yaone. She was under his control. Then he remembered what Nii had said. How the antidote to this poison was blood from Yaone's heart. He shook his head, tried to think of anything he could do and gave up. Dokugaku was probably already dead. He was going to die for there was no way he'd sacrifice Yaone's life for his own. He needed to free her, then send her out to find Lirin. When he died she would be the only one to look after his sister. Gyokumen Koushu would never lay hands on her again. But first he had to find Yaone.

* * *

Sanzo leaned against the jeep, cigarette in mouth. It didn't matter to him whether Kougaiji's swordsman died or not. Everyone had to face death at the end, some sooner, some later. All he cared about was their mission which seemed to be delayed again and again because some stupids _pricks_ didn't know how to look after themselves. Fuck. He'd just finished his last cigarette. He looked in the back of the jeep if the kappa had left his pack there, but count on that moron to always have his smokes with him. With a pissed "Ts" he walked over to the others who were desperately trying to keep that bloody mess on the ground alive. He threw a quick glance at Goku who had the girl in his arms. Huh, one pet comforting the other. He stopped right next to the kappa who was constantly yelling at his brother or whatever the other man was and kicked him to gain his attention. "Oi, kappa. Hand me your smokes. And stop yelling, you get on my nerves."

Gojyo turned so fast that Sanzo didn't have time to react. The kappa had seized him by the collar in no time, lifting him in the air, staining his robe with blood from his hands. "You fucking monk! Shut the hell up or I'm gonna shove your goddamn gun up your ass! That's my _brother_ dying there, you..." He stopped when he felt the gun barrel being pressed at his temple.

"Let me down you fucking prick before I blow you're head away." Sanzo's voice was dangerously cold, one word from Gojyo and he would carry out his threat.

Gojyo's head turned red with fury when he let Sanzo down and reluctantly got his hands off the man. The gun was still aimed at him.

"Your _smokes_, kappa," hissed the monk. The redhead pulled the pack out of his pocket and threw it on the ground in front of the monk. "Fuck you," he growled before he turned to kneel down next to Jien again. The shot missed him by an inch but he didn't bother to yell at the monk again.

All that blood... "Hakkai," he whispered, "will he make it?" He saw Lirin stir in Goku's arms when she heard his question and felt that she feared the answer as much as he did.

Beads of sweat ran down the healer's face who was panting with the effort he put into keeping Dokugakuji alive. It was a stroke of luck that they hadn't been assaulted by any youkai today or he wouldn't have had enough chi to treat these terrible wounds. "I don't know," he answered and was careful to avoid his best friend's eyes.

Behind him Sanzo snorted. "Don't waste your time, then. It won't help when our driver passes out behind the wheel." He hadn't taken Hakkai's reaction into account, though. The healer slowly turned his head towards the monk, his eyes were cold as ice though his words remained rather polite. "I suggest you stop to hurt Gojyo and go back to the jeep unless you want to help. I'll make perfectly sure that I do not overexert myself." This was enough to make even Sanzo back off. When Hakkai was in that kind of mood one shouldn't give him any reason to be angry.

"Ts." The monk bent down to pick up the cigarettes before he went over to Lirin and Goku. They both threw angry glances at him, so he rolled his eyes and went back to the jeep. But when he wanted to open the door to sit down Hakuryu chirped and transformed. The little dragon hissed angrily at him before he flew over to Hakkai.

"Idiots."


End file.
